With a Little Help From a Friend…

By Dark Poltergeist

The cabin was quiet, except for the annoying dripping from the kitchen faucet that refused to be silent. It was amazing how loud it seemed to Ichabod at the moment. No doubt it had something to do with his current state of inebriation, but that was beside the point.

Rum was his true friend, one he should have turned to long before now. He eyed the bottle, tears of joy appearing in his eyes as he brought the bottle to him and cupped his hands around it.

"You are a…true friend, a true love. You never promise what you cannot offer…and often give a night's reprieve to a weary soul…" He blinked at it several times and then his hands caught up to his brain and he found himself refilling his glass yet again.

He was surprised several moments later as he stared at the glass to find it speaking to him.

"Hey! Are you all right?"

He recoiled from the glass for a few seconds and then approached it cautiously. "Why do you ask?" He peered at the glass.

"Cause you don't look so good."

"I am perfectly fine for having….been in your company all night." He frowned at the glass. "This is your fault you know, I wouldn't be drunk…without your help…"

"Oh, Ichy!"

Something got through to his brain then and he recognized the voice as belonging to Jenny. Aghast his mouth dropped open and he stared at his glass in alarm.

"What have you done to Miss Jenny?"

The peals of laughter chilled his very soul. It was bad enough he liquor had gotten him drunk but to imprison Miss Jenny in a glass!

"Hey, Ichy! I'm over here."

Crane looked up from the glass and saw Jenny standing by the table, laughing at him.

"Oh, thank God! I thought something had happened to you."

"Yeah, I saw that." She paused. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Too much…and not enough."

Jenny studied her friend, knowing exactly why he had been drinking. His poor excuse for a wife was revealing her true colors and they weren't pretty. In fact, they were a shade of ugly that Jenny had never seen before, and she felt bad for Ichabod. Though she didn't always agree with him she knew he was an honest, compassionate man and would do whatever he needed to help end the apocalypse. And although he never said it, she knew that he had feelings for her sister, and she for him. They were both masters of denial. But she suspected that Abbie wasn't his problem at the moment, rather it was his witch of a wife.

"Do you mind if I sit?" She asked and took the seat across from him before he could even answer. "What's bothering you?"

He shook his head but remained silent.

"You might as well tell me. I'm not leaving until you share."

"You're just as stubborn as your sister."

"I will take that as a compliment because I know how highly you think of her."

"I do, Miss Jenny, truly I do. Abigail is a paradigm among women, a rare beauty with exceptional intelligence and honesty, she is one that would never lead a man astray…one that would never lie about the important things in a…relationship…"

"Hmm, somehow I don't think your problem is with Abbie."

"Good God, no! She is beyond reproach…she is…"

"Okay, yeah, got it. A woman of virtue…yada, yada, yada." Jenny took a deep breath and hit the hot button that she knew was driving him. "What about your wife?"

"Katrina?" he almost spat out her name.

"Yeah."

"Why should I speak of her?"

"I think you need to, otherwise you wouldn't be sitting here getting drunk. By yourself, I may add."

Crane sighed and stared at the bottle and reached for it once again but was stopped by Jenny's hand. "Come on, Ichy, spill it. Talk."

"I do not…wish to burden you…"

"Go ahead, burden away."

He frowned. "It would be…impolite of me…"

"Look at me."

After some dithering, Ichabod finally looked at Jenny.

"Are we friends?" she asked.

"Of course."

"Then just accept that I am here and I want to listen to what's going on with you. We're all in this together, aren't we?"

"Yes…yes we are."

"And friends talk to each other?"

"Yes, they do."

Jenny leaned across the table and took his hand in hers. "Then talk. I'm here to listen. No judgement."

"Well, I suppose…"

"So tell your friend Jenny what's wrong?"

He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair before he rubbed them and looked back at Jenny. "I hardly know where to begin, Miss Mills."

"Hey Ichy, since we're friends, how about you call me Jenny?"

"It is allowed?"

Jenny gave him a tolerant smile. "Yeah, it's allowed."

"Very well then. Miss Jenny…I mean, Jenny..I would be delighted to talk to you.."

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Do you not have any idea?"

"I think I know, but it's your problem so you're the one that has to talk about it."

He glared at the table.

Jenny remained quiet and waited for him to continue.

"She lied to me. Repeatedly. And for years."

"It's hard to take, isn't it?"

"Hard? There is no gauge that can describe the degree of difficulty…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "She lied to me…about big things…about the fact she was a witch!"

Jenny nodded.

"About…having my child and never telling me!"

Jenny bit her lip, she could feel Crane's pain, the slight quiver in the timbre of his voice, the trapped look in his bright blue eyes.

"About…being involved in Mary's death!"

"Yeah, that too."

"About having…feelings for Abraham!"

"Wait, what?"

"At least I think so…" he crossed his arms and put them on the table, lowering his head onto them. "I have been so stupid! How could I not have seen any of this?"

"We all make mistakes, Ichy. We often don't see the bad in people that we love."

"There is not seeing…and there is being…completely blind." He raised his head up and regarded Jenny through bleary eyes. "I am an ignorant fool…a complete jackass…"

"You're being too hard on yourself. You're not responsible for anything that she's done. She made those decisions, not you."

"You are being far too kind," he mumbled. "But I am left to question my…my…judgement. How can I have trust in…anything I do? I married a witch who did not want…to share my own child with me… a witch who was deeply involved…in killing my friend, Mary." His chin dropped to his chest and he no longer tried to hide the tears seeping from his eyes. "How can I possibly be…married to such a woman?"

"You could divorce her.." Jenny ventured, unsure of his feelings on the matter.

"Divorce?" he echoed and gave her a blank look.

"Yeah, maybe not even that. I mean your vows were until 'death do you part?"

He nodded.

"Technically…"

"I died…" he rubbed his chin. "I guess I hadn't considered it in that light…until now." His anger eased and he stared at Jenny, his expression suffused with sadness.

"Oh, Ichy." Jenny was almost in tears herself. She wasn't into this touchy feely stuff, wasn't into the comforting presence like Abbie could be, but this man who was her friend was in pain. She had been in pain herself on many occasions and wished for a comforting friend, how could she turn away from him?

She got up and walked over to him, and touched him lightly on his shoulders. He stared up at her for a long moment, tears streaming from his eyes and abruptly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him and hanging on to her as if his very life depended on it.

"Shh, it's okay, it'll be all right," she whispered.

He held her tight, sobs racking his body, which revealed the depth of the betrayal he felt by his wife. Depths that Jenny had not even imagined.

"It will be all right, Crane, you'll get through this."

"Ohh, Abbie," he sighed.

Jenny only smiled, knowing that was a topic for another day.

"Let's get you to bed, you look exhausted."

Too tired to protest, he nodded, and staggered to his feet. Jenny put his arm around his waist and guided him to his room. Without protest he stumbled into bed.

"Nope, not yet, sit up."

Crane mumbled something under his breath, but with some assistance, managed to do as Jenny asked. She took off his outer coat, and then pushed him gently back so that he was lying down on the bed. She realized that he still had his boots on and with a sigh, pulled them off.

"This is a onetime thing, Icky, so don't get used to this."

"Abbie," he murmured in his sleep.

Jenny smoothed the hair back from his face and sighed. He still had a long road to travel with his poor excuse of a wife and Jenny hoped that he'd finally see Katrina for what she is and leave her behind. Then he and Abbie could finally get on with things. They were meant for each other and it seemed that everyone except for the two of them could see it.

Oh well, another day.

Jenny closed the door behind her and pulled out her phone.

"Yeah, Abs, you need to get over to Crane's….he's pretty bad off. What? No, calm down, physically he's fine, he's not hurt, I mean not bleeding or anything. But he needs a friend pretty bad right now and you're the best friend he has. Yeah, he'll be fine until you get here. He's drunk and sleeping it off. Yeah, the wife and what she's been up to seems to be the cause." She paused, listening to her sister. "Come tend to your boy. Yeah, I'll make sure he's okay until you get here. Just don't take long, I'm not paid for this you know. Yeah, yeah."

Jenny hung up her phone and went to sit on the couch to wait for her sister, sparing a look of concern for the bedroom. He was a good man and deserved better than what he got in his wife. Maybe once things had been different for them, but now?

Not her business she reminded herself, she could listen and be a friend but had to keep her opinions to herself, no matter that she was starting to feel protective of Crane, it wasn't her place. It was Abbie's place if she chose to take it. She would leave that up to them.

Satisfied that Crane would soon be in her sister's capable hands, she leaned back against the couch and turned on the TV, content to watch over her friend.

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AN: So, my first SH story; what do you think? Reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading.

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